Twitter exploded with jokes after famed quarterback Tom Brady announced he was coming out of retirement — about six weeks after he first announced he was leaving football for good.
On Sunday, he tweeted: “The last two months I have realized that my place is still on the field, not in the stands.”
“That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m returning for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG.
Almost immediately thereafter, Brady became a social media presence, with some expressing their excitement that he would be back on the field, while many others found it amusing that he would “not retire” after spending only a few weeks alone with with his family.
“He’s baaakkkk,” the Buccaneers wrote.
“Hell, even Tom Brady saw 7.9% inflation and record high gas prices and decided he needed to get back to work,” wrote Joe Pompliano, founder of Huddle Up.
“Tom Brady wakes up and sees nothing but another parent-teacher conference on his daily schedule,” Pat McAffee tweeted The Show with a meme of The Office character Michael Scott, shaking his head.
And Adam Wren, a national politics reporter for Insider, joked that he “isn’t retiring to spend less time with his family.”
Tom Brady (pictured after winning the Super Bowl last year) retired less than two months after leaving the NFL.
He announced his decision on Twitter and Instagram, saying he had “unfinished business”.
Others, such as Roger Sherman of The Ringer, have posted memes of how Brady must have been spending time with his wife and three kids over the past few weeks, while another posted a Parks and Recreation meme featuring the Adam Scott character.
In it, he tells his wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, that he is returning home, before saying, “So I’ve been trying homemade food for 43 days. I don’t know how you do it.
Philip Lewis, senior front page editor for the Huffington Post, also tweeted that “Tom Brady was a family man for about a month and didn’t say thank you.” Eric Hubbs, editor of Major League Baseball Barstool Sports, wrote, “Five weeks was too much family time for Tom Brady.”
And Ryan Hecht, a Colorado marketing director, also joked that Brady must have gotten into “a long conversation with his mailbox neighbor and didn’t retire,” while Flo Goodman wrote, “Oh Tom Brady just felt a little awkward and wanted to hear all the good things people have to say about him before he renews his contract.”
Meanwhile, podcaster Barstool Big Cat (real name Dan Katz) wrote, “Tom Brady just stole March Madness from Twitter.”
The news of Brady’s return to the field was met with great sarcasm online.
Several other Twitter users appeared to believe that Brady, 44, decided to come out of retirement after speaking with Manchester United football star Cristiano Ronaldo, a veteran athlete many believe is still at the top of his game.
Brady saw the team beat Tottenham 3-2 on Saturday and Ronaldo scored the winning hat-trick to make him the top scorer in FIFA history.
Saturday: Tom Brady watches Cristiano Ronaldo score a hat-trick. Sunday: Tom Brady announces he is coming out of retirement,” Golazo wrote to CBS Sports.
“Say thanks to Cristiano for this!” fan added. “Brady went to him and at 37 Ronaldo scored a hat-trick. After he and Brady talked, and I’m sure he convinced him to come back.
“Tom Brady really came out of retirement after talking to Ronaldo,” said another.
‘@Cristiano has such an impact on people!’ Comedian Conor Moore tweeted.
One fan wondered: “What did Ronaldo say to Brady??”
“If Tom Brady went to watch [Argentine soccer player Lionel] Messi instead of Ronaldo would still be retired,” joked another.
Both the Red Devils and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are owned by the Glazer family, whom Brady personally thanked in his retirement statement on February 1.
Brady made the announcement hours after he posed for a picture with Manchester United footballer Cristiano Ronaldo at the legendary Old Trafford stadium.
Several Twitter users believe that Brady decided to come out of retirement after talking to Ronaldo.
Over the past few years, Brady has led the Pirates to a Super Bowl title in the 2020 season and an NFC South championship last season.
The 44-year-old led the NFL in passing yards (5,316), touchdowns (43), completions (485) and attempts (719) in 2021, but the Buccaneers lost at home to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round.
He previously spent 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, winning six Super Bowl titles before moving to Florida.
Brady was believed to have ended his 22-year career on February 1 when he announced his retirement.
He cited his desire to spend more time with Bundchen and his three children when he decided to retire from acting.
“I’ve always believed that football is a complex proposition: if you don’t have 100 percent commitment to the competition, you won’t succeed, and success is what I love so much about our game.” Brady wrote on February 1st.
“Every day I undergo a physical, mental and emotional challenge that allows me to reach my maximum potential. And I’ve tried my best for the last 22 years. There are no shortcuts to success on the field or in life.”
“It’s hard for me to write this, but here it is: I am no longer going to make these competitive commitments. I enjoyed my NFL career and now it’s time to focus my time and energy on other things that need my attention.”
He also thanked Bundchen and his children, saying they are his “inspiration” and “greatest achievement”.
The quarterback then stunned the world on Sunday when he confirmed he would rejoin the Pirates for a new campaign after just 40 days in retirement.
However, his decision may not be all that surprising given that just a week later he “retired” as Brady said “never say never” about playing again.
Brady announced his decision to retire last month, citing a desire to spend more time with his wife, supermodel Gisele Bündchen, and three children. Brady posted the photo above on Instagram on Sunday when he announced his return to the game.
Brady announced his decision to return to the Bucks the day before the start of the NFL free agent period. He included this photo in his Instagram post announcing his comeback.
Ahead of the 2021-22 season, Brady signed a one-year, $25 million contract extension after leading the Bucks to Super Bowl victory last year. This deal included a $20 million signing bonus, of which $15 million was due to be paid to him in February.
The details of his deal for the 2022 season remain unclear.
Since being selected in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, Brady has earned more than $292 million in salary over 22 seasons, according to Spotrac.
This does not include earnings from his fitness brand or his many promotional deals with the likes of Subway and Under Armor, not to mention his recent foray into non-fungible tokens.
Brady signed a one-year, $25 million contract extension after leading the Bucks to Super Bowl victory last year. This deal included a $20 million signing bonus, of which $15 million was due to be paid to him in February. The details of his contract for the 2022 season remain unclear.
Brady is now also set to act and produce a football-themed road trip movie called 80 for Brady, The Hollywood Reporter revealed just weeks after he announced his retirement.
He was expected to join forces with several acting legends for this project, including Rita Moreno, Sally Field, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.
The four Hollywood icons will play four New England Patriots best friends and fans who will travel to the 2017 Super Bowl LI to see their sports hero Brady play.
The film was inspired by a true story and will follow the chaos that results from a trip as they try to make their way to America’s biggest sporting event.
Brady, who led the New England Patriots to a 34–28 win over the Atlanta Falcons, was heavily involved in the creation of the project, co-designing it with Donna Gigliotti.
The film will be directed by Kyle Marvin, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Covino. It will be created by Paramount Pictures and Endeavor Content.